Two suspects have been arraigned in court over an ongoing Ksh 4 billion land tussle between the County Government of Kwale and Lunga Lunga Ranching Company Ltd.
Arrested by DCI detectives was Deputy Director for Land Administration Mr Salesio Kaburu Jacob and his accomplice Frankline Kamau Kamathi who together are accused of forging a notification of approval PPA2 or the extension of lease of a parcel of land LR No. 14211.
“As surge in land disputes rock various parts of the country with aggrieved parties filing litigations in court, DCI’s Land Fraud investigators have arraigned the Deputy Director for Land Administration Mr Salesio Kaburu Jacob who is implicated in a Sh4 Billion land tussle between the County Govt of Kwale and Lunga Lunga Ranching Company Ltd.
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The arrest and subsequent arraignment of the Ardhi House-based administrator followed painstaking investigations conducted after Kwale County’s Physical Planner complained that suspected grabbers had forged a notification of approval PPA2 for the extension of lease of a parcel of land LR No. 14211.
The 63030.0 hectare piece of land had initially been registered under Lunga Lunga Ranching Company Ltd but upon misuse of the ranch, the National Land Commission (NLC) in its 2019 determination reverted the ranch ownership to Kwale County Govt, for settlement of squatters and the communities within the area, establishment of public utilities and development purposes.
Indepth investigations launched on March 11, 2023 established that some cartels based at Ardhi Hse, Nairobi jointly with several notorious brokers some of whom are still on the loose had fraudulently surveyed the land, forged a planning brief and the PPA2 to initiate the illegal extension and indeed secured a new grant.
After investigations, a comprehensive case file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecution for perusal and guidance, facts whose threshold merited the recommendation that charges be preferred against the perpetrators.” said DCI
The two who appeared before Kwale Law Courts pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on Sh5 million and Sh4.5 million respectively with a surety of the same amount without the option of a cash bail. The case will be mentioned on November 9, 2023.
